Plum Tart with Almond Cream
A classic French tart in which a shortcrust base meets a delicate almond cream and halves of juicy plums. The dough is blind-baked first so the bottom stays crisp, and only then is it filled with the cream, an airy mixture of beaten eggs, cream, flour, and ground almonds. As it bakes, the cream rises and envelops the plums.
The plums are placed cut side down so their juice doesn’t soak the cream while the flesh caramelizes. The tart berry balances the sweet almond filling beautifully, and the subtle almond aroma gives the dessert its recognizable French character.
Cook’s Notes
- Be sure to chill the dough and blind-bake the base, otherwise the bottom will stay raw under the moist filling.
- You can swap the plums for apricots, cherries, or peaches. Tart plum varieties give a better balance with the sweet cream.
- Whip the cream long enough: the air in the mixture makes the filling light rather than dense.
Let the tart cool completely before slicing so the cream sets. Serve at room temperature with coffee or tea; the flavor deepens the next day.
Part of French cuisine — 22 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
In a food processor bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the butter, cut into small cubes. Process to the texture of moist crumbs, then add the eggs one at a time. Process the dough until it becomes smooth and starts to pull away from the sides. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling cream. In a bowl, combine the eggs with the sugar and beat with a mixer for 3 minutes into a fluffy, pale mass. Without stopping, add the cream. Beat for another 5 minutes; the mixture should increase in volume. Add the flour and ground almonds and beat for 1 more minute.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface into a sheet 5 mm thick. Press the dough into the baking pan so that it covers the sides. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 7 minutes.
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Arrange the plum pieces cut side down on the dough. Spread the cream over the top.
Return the tart to the oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 40 minutes. Then let it cool and serve.
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